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Article published March 21, 2013

Host a Fresh Air child

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Brenda McCall Center Township

With the arrival of spring, we know summer is not far behind.Summer provides an opportunity for us to share the sights and sounds of our community with others less fortunate.Since 1877, the Fresh Air Fund, an independent, nonprofit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million disadvantaged New York City children. Through Fresh Air’s Friendly Town Program, young New Yorkers, ages 6 to 18, experience the joy of summer during visits of two weeks or longer with volunteer host families. Fresh Air hosts live in communities throughout 13 Northeastern states and Ontario, Canada.Again this year, the program is looking for more volunteer families in Butler County to provide an inner-city child with a two-week respite from the hot streets and crowded concrete playgrounds. Local involvement is more important this year than possibly ever before. Some families in the Northeast who participated in this program in the past were negatively impacted by Hurricane Sandy.Families seeking information about how to become a Fresh Air program host should contact me, the Butler County chairperson, at 724-283-4656 — or the fund at 800-367-0003. Families also may visit the Fresh Air website at www.freshair.org.